Hello, friends! Today I'd like to do an unboxing and review of Birchbox limited edition Lovely Day box. It's chock full of a variety of stuff, and after much deliberation, I decided to use my points and purchase it for myself.
Birchbox? What's that?
Birchbox is a monthly beauty and lifestyle subscription service. It sends 4-5 deluxe samples that are curated to your beauty profile. It is $10 a month, and has a wonderful rewards program, in which you can earn points for reviewing products and making purchases in the Birchbox Shop. You can then redeem those points for full-sized products! It's probably the best rewards program out there, in my opinion, which was one of the big draws in me signing up. They're always adding new products to the shop. Last month they sampled products from Amika, Juice Beauty, Shiseido, as well as pages of others! Some products are even exclusive to Birchbox, like Cynthia Rowley's new makeup line and the cult-favorite Beauty Protector brand. If you're interested in subscribing to Birchbox, I would love it if you used my referral link! Thank you!
This is the limited edition (LE) Mother's Day box, so happy belated Mother's Day to me I guess! Not that I'm a mother, but I have one, so that's kind of close, right?
This card basically tells you to treat yo'self, which is exactly what I did by purchasing this box. It's $62, so you can say that again, but I'd been lusting after it for awhile so I decided to go for it. My mother would chastise me for getting more stuff I don't need, but that doesn't mean I don't want it!
This info card doesn't provide the usual information that Birchbox subscription cards do, like prices and tips, but I'll let it slide. Just because I love them.
But enough about that. Let's get to the good stuff!
(Full-size [8.9g]: $26)
I really liked the Cargo blush in my April Birchbox, so I was excited to be getting another one (and in a full-size). The formula is really smooth and pigmented, and for my fair skin, all I need to do is tap into the product and I'm all set.
Many of the products' scents and shades in this box were listed as "such-and-such may vary" so this box was a bit of a gamble. When I saw Lauren of Little Blushing Birdie's unboxing, I was kind of hoping for the peach blush she got, but I'm also excited to use this color! It's a little brighter and cooler than I'm used to, but I don't have anything like this in my collection, so welcome to your new home Cargo! (I need to stop personifying my beauty products) (I have no friends)
(Sample-size value [.33 fl oz]: $26.33)
(Cost of full-size [1 fl oz]: $70)
I recently used up another one of these samples and mentioned it in April's Favorite Things, so I'm stoked to have another one! I can't see spending $70 on the full-size, so I'll just keep weaseling my way into samples for the rest of my life. And so it goes.
(Full-size [50ml]: $14)
I can always use more hand cream! I'm going to keep this one closed for now, since I have about three open at the moment, but this will definitely be pulled out at a later date. I've tried Davines shampoo in the past and wasn't super impressed, but it's hard to mess up a hand cream.
GREENLEAF | BELLA FREESIA CANDLE TIN
(Full-size [6oz]: $10)
I'm not really a candle person, but maybe this one will make me a convert. The scent is listed to be "freesia, white tea, amber, and cotton blossom" but my untrained nose just detected floral. It smells nice, though! Part of me thinks it's weird to be lighting a candle in the warmer months (isn't it already hot enough outside?) but I'm not a candle connoisseur so what do I know?
HARNEY AND SONS FINE TEA | WRAPPED SACHETS
(Sample-size value [7 satchets]: $3.36)
(Cost of full-size [20 satchets]: $9.60)
Birchbox often gives in bonus tea bags as an extra, so this wasn't a surprise. I know nothing about the brand, but the price of the tea makes it seem fancy. I'm boring and only drink chamomile, since tea is more of a sleepytime drink for me, but if any of these are caffeine-free I'll give them a go. I'm devoted to coffee during the day, and I still haven't finished all two tea bags from my January Birchbox, so it might take me awhile to get through these. I'll get back to you in a year.
ILLUME | GO BE LOVELY DEMI PERFUME
COCONUT MILK MANGO
(Full-size rollerball [.22fl oz]: $14)
I have to say, I'm really surprised by how much I like this. The packaging is cute, and feels and smells more expensive than $14. I'm not usually the biggest coconut fan, but I can see myself wearing this daily until I run out. Maybe it's because the coconut milk is mixed with mango (a favorite summer scent of mine), but I'm a huge fan of this! I'd check out their other scents, but purchasing fragrances online without smelling is not something I typically do. Maybe I'll take a chance on Illume.
JOUER | HYDRATING LIPSTICK IN DORIS
(Full-size [.12 oz]: $24)
Out of all the colors Jouer makes, I got this one? I talked in my May Birchbox Review about how Birchbox is scheming to get me out of my color comfort zone. I'm typically drawn to corals and pinks, and bright colors all around in the summer, so this browny nude is not exactly my jam. I tried it on and my mother said it looked nice, but this color for some reason reminds me of an adult color. Does that make sense? I don't see girls my age wearing this color much. It looked pretty similar to my natural lip color, and it's not hyper-mega opaque, so it's wearable. I'll play around with this next time I do a fun eye look to keep things balanced. I think the color is trendy right now, too, which might be why I'm getting it all of a sudden. I'll experiment with it. The formula is nice, though!
LIVING PROOF | PERFECT HAIR DAY NIGHT CAP OVERNIGHT PERFECTOR
(Sample-size value [1oz]: $7)
(Cost of full-size [4 fl oz]: $28)
I've had a good hair day, but a perfect hair day? Here I was, thinking it was just a myth, but apparently it attainable now. The directions say to apply this to damp or dry hair before bed, and then rinse it out in the morning. Or, you can leave it in if you like. It's supposed to be good for protecting against heat and environmental damage, as well as add softness and shine. If my hair looks particularly dry, I'll be sure to pull this out!
NAILS INC | GEL EFFECT POLISHES
MAYFAIRE LANE AND PORCHESTER SQUARE
(Full-size: [two .5oz bottles]: $15 each)
I've been hearing really good things about this brand (especially their collaboration with Victoria Beckham) so I'm happy to see these in my box. They're also both colors I would gladly wear, which is a plus. Living the life of a theatre person means not getting to paint my nails often, but when I finish this gig, I'll definitely take these for a spin! I'm hoping the gel-like quality means they're more chip-resistant, because for $15 a bottle I'm hoping these stay looking nice for at least a few days!
RITUALS | FOAMING SHOWER GEL IN HAMMAM DELIGHT
(Sample-size value [1.7oz]: $3.75)
(Cost of full-size [6.8oz]: $15)
For a second, I thought the scent was "HamHam Delight," and my mind immediately went to that Hamtaro cartoon. Anyone remember that? No, just me? Okay then.
This product sprays out as a gel and then lathers into a foam when you mix it with water. How fun! The scent is comprised of eucalyptus and rosemary, so those with eczema might not want to try it out. Otherwise, I've heard good things about the Rituals brand, so it will be fun to see what the hype is about. This is a good travel size, so I stashed this away for the next time I go out of town and need to pack toiletries.
The Stats:
- Cargo Blush: $26
- Caudalie Lovely But Expensive Serum: $26.33
- Hand Cream: $14
- Candle: $10
- Tea I Probably Won't Drink: $3.36
- Coconut Milk Mango Perfume: $14
- Brown Lipstick: $24
- Living Proof Leave-In Product: $7
- Nails Inc Nail Polishes: $30
- Rituals Foaming Sower Gel: $3.75
- TOTAL: $158.44 (about 2.5 times the cost of the box)
The Best:
I'm excited to be getting another Vinoperfect product from Caudalie, because my skin just drinks that stuff up.
The Worst:
Candles and tea are not something I get much use out of, but at least they're not the stars of the box.
The Verdict:
Would I have paid $62 for this box if I did not have points to spare? No, but that's because it was $62. I love trying new things, so buying products is never really a waste of money to me (says the hoarder uncharacteristically...). This is definitely something you need to look at and evaluate for yourself. The total box value is worth over twice what I paid, so that's something to keep in mind. I definitely won't be splurging for awhile, but the products are great and I'll get use out of everything! #noregrets (#Ineedalessexpensivehobbythough).
If you're interested in purchasing this box, you can click here to find it in the Birchbox Shop.
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Disclaimer: This box was purchased by me. Not sponsored. So, there.
